Haydar's Blog at LumberJocks.comhttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog
Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:09:43 GMTNew Planer (New to me anyway)http://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/10769
I think I just got a pretty good deal on ebay. I got a Dewalt 734 Planer for $170 locally. It also comes with the stand and an extra set of blades. The picture looks like it was well maintained.

I’m so excited I just had to tell somebody, and you poor people are they. Now I just need some good instruction on how to use it. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

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Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:09:43 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/10769HaydarHaydarStarting Woodworking. #4: Starting to build my router tablehttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/10032
I’ve finally started building my router table. But before I could do even do that I had to build myself a couple jigs. Since I don’t have a table saw yet I built a guide for my circular saw so that I could at least cut a straight line.

I’ve heard that the table saw is the most important woodworking tool. But from my reading I’ve made the following observations about table saws:

Table Saws vary a great deal in quality

The difference in quality makes a huge difference in the ease of use and quality of the output

The difference in quality is directly proportional to the price you are willing to spend on a saw

So with this information I don’t want to make the wrong choice and over or under spend on a saw.

The second jig I made was one for creating dado’s using my router. This seems to be something I would use even if I had a table saw. It turned out ok, it’s very rough but it seems to work ok.

With these jigs made. I was able to cut large pieces for the case. I’m making an enclosed case for the table to, hopefully, cut down on the noise and dust that escapes.

The neatest thing so far is that after cutting the dados for the shelf and base they actually fit in the slot properly. I’m now just about ready to glue and screw the case together.

I’ve already learned a bunch and it’s interesting to me how much for quickly I was able to set up the jig for my later dado cuts compared to my first ones. I’m also amazed by how much sawdust I’m producing.

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Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:22:47 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/10032HaydarHaydarStarting Woodworking. #3: My trip to Loweshttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/8830
In my first post i mentioned that I couldn’t find any dimensional lumber at my local big box stores. Well now that I have learned a little bit it was easy to find the hardwood section.

I could see that they had Red Oak, Poplar, and something called whitewood? that looked alot like Pine to my inexperienced eyes. The had 6 or 7 racks of boards of various lengths and widths. The one thing I did notice was the price. A 6×6 x 1 poplar board (3 board feet) was going for about $23. That means it was $7.60 / board foot. That seems pretty high to me.

I have to say it was an interesting experience to go into the lumber section and not be totally bewildered.

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Wed, 20 May 2009 03:40:26 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/8830HaydarHaydarStarting Woodworking. #2: To choose a router table planhttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/8828
Initially, I had decided to build a router table using a plan I found at Bob’s plans.

This table seems simple enough for me to build, and the plans are detailed enough for me. But it is a bench top table. I have enough room to build a full router table and I am wondering if it would make more sense to do that.

I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. I see so many beautiful tables here that are way out of my league. But I’m having trouble finding a plan that would be simple enough for me to build and has detailed plans appropriate for a novice.

Any comments or suggestions are very welcome.

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Wed, 20 May 2009 03:29:22 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/8828HaydarHaydarStarting Woodworking. #1: Ready to buy my first woodhttp://lumberjocks.com/Haydar/blog/8803
I was really intimidated when I first started thinking about going to a mill or lumberyard to purchase wood. I have no idea what I’m doing. I just have a plan for a router table that calls for poplar. I didn’t want to waste people’s time and I didn’t want to look like an idiot.

They had a few videos there that explained the differences between flat, rip, and quarter sawn wood. What some of the grading means and even difference in size between a raw piece of wood and one that’s finished.

I think i’m ready to go purchase some wood for my first project. Since it’s just a workshop item, I’m not really concerned with the look of the wood i’m getting. I do know that I have to get it already prepared since I don’t have a planer or jointer.

If anyone has any advise, please let me know.

—Additional Comment:

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. The videos i watched did mention the S4S and S2S desgnation so I did learn that. But I didn’t remember the FAS term but they did mention that if you can handle some knots that a lesser quality of wood could be substantially cheaper. They also mentioned that if i was going to be cutting smaller pieces and could work around any imperfections that you can save money by using a lower quality piece.

I do have an additional question though. When I went to the big box stores i didn’t see any dimensional lumber. Only construction wood like 2×4’s 1×8’s etc or plywood. I think I remember only seeing 1 thickness of MDF. I don’t know whether I was looking in the wrong area or if mine just don’t carry that material.

But the videos I watched really pointed away from the Big Box places saying that the prices would be higher even if i could find what I was looking for. Does anyone have an opinion on this?